Quick editors
Crop, Annotate, Redact, Remove background, Resize, Compress. Each opens a small window by the file and saves a copy, like Photo Cropped.jpg, so you can drag the result straight into another wheel.
Free & open source · for Mac
Drag. Tap. Done.
While you drag any file, tap a key and a wheel opens under the pointer: drop on a wedge to convert it, edit it or park it on a shelf.
Try it
Drag the file, then tap ⇧
Or open a wheel
A preview in your browser. In the app, it works on any file you drag in macOS.
How it works
One gesture. No windows to open.
It starts with a drag you were going to make anyway: from Finder, the Desktop or any app that lets you drag files.
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01
Drag any file
Photos, PDFs, documents, videos, folders. Several at once works too.
-
02
Tap a key
⇧ Convert, ⇧⌥ Tools, ⌃ Actions. A quick tap is enough; the wheel stays open until you drop.
-
03
Drop on a wedge
The result is saved next to the original, and nothing is ever overwritten.
The wheels
Three wheels, one for every job.
Each wheel only shows what makes sense for the file you're dragging.
⇧Convert
Turn a file into the format you need. The wheel never offers the format it's already in, and several files convert together.
- HEIC → JPG
- PDF → Word
- Video → GIFwith ffmpeg
- CSV → Excel
- Folder → ZIP
Results land next to the original: Photo.jpg → Photo.png.
⇧⌥Tools
Quick edits without opening a full app. Most tools open a small focused editor and save a copy beside the original. Busy wheels show six at a time; rest on ⋯ for more.
- Compress a photo
- Crop or resize images
- Remove a background
- Trim a video
- Combine images into one PDF
For PDFs: combine, reorder pages, split. For video and audio: trim, split, merge, change speed.
⌃Actions
Everyday file chores, right where the file already is.
- Put files on a shelf
- AirDrop them
- Move them to a folder
- Copy the full path
- Open Terminal in its folder
With a shelf open, Add to Shelf drops files on the one you used last.
Features
Small tools that stay out of the way.
Everything opens next to the pointer and closes when it's done.
Floating shelves
Drop files on the Shelf wedge and they wait in a small floating window. Gather from anywhere, then drag them out together.
Dock it to a screen edge; it's still there after a restart.
No drag needed
Select files in Finder and press ⌃⌥Space. Arrows choose, Tab switches wheels, Return runs it.
Progress by the pointer
Longer jobs show a small card where you dropped the file. Click × to cancel.
Results say what happened: “1 resized · 2 already smaller”.
Trim on a real timeline
A filmstrip for video, a waveform for audio. Then split, merge, change speed, rotate or mute.
Every everyday format, and then some
Drag several files at once; mixed selections only show the formats every file supports.
ImagesPNG · JPG · HEIC · AVIF · WEBP* · TIFF · BMP, or into a PDF or Word file
PDFto Word, PowerPoint, Excel, EPUB, Markdown, JPG, PNG, TXT
Office documentsWord, RTF, ODT, HTML, TXT to PDF, Word and more
EPUB & Markdownfrom PDFs and documents; Markdown in, too
SpreadsheetsCSV ⇄ TSV ⇄ XLSX, tables to PDF; slides* to PDF, JPG, PNG
AudioM4A · WAV · AIFF · FLAC · MP3* · OGG* · Opus* · WMA*
VideoMP4 · MOV · GIF* · MKV* · WebM* · AVI* · WMV*
ArchivesZIP · TAR · TAR.GZ, and unzip ZIP, 7Z, RAR
* Optional and free: some audio and video formats need ffmpeg (brew install ffmpeg, plus brew install webp for WEBP), and slides need LibreOffice (brew install --cask libreoffice). Those wedges appear once the tool is installed.
Yours
Private, open and up to date.
Private and offline
Every conversion and tool runs on your Mac. Files never leave it. The only network access is checking GitHub for updates, which you can turn off.
Open source
MIT licensed. Read the code, file issues and send pull requests on GitHub.
Signed automatic updates
New versions install from inside the app. Each update is signed, so only genuine OpenShelf releases are accepted.
No account No telemetry No Accessibility permission needed
Install
Ready in a minute.
- Download the DMGThe latest release, straight from GitHub.
- Drag OpenShelf to ApplicationsThen open it. It lives in your menu bar, and a short welcome guide appears the first time.
- Try itDrag any file, tap ⇧, and drop it on a wedge.
First launch: macOS asks onceOne time only
OpenShelf isn't notarized by Apple yet, so the first time you open it macOS says it can't verify the app. That's expected, and it only happens once.
- macOS 15 Sequoia and later: click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about OpenShelf and click Open Anyway, then confirm.
- macOS 14 Sonoma: right-click OpenShelf in Applications, choose Open, then Open again.
- Or in Terminal:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OpenShelf.app
Is it free?
Yes. OpenShelf is free and open source under the MIT license. No account, no subscription.
Does it upload my files?
No. Every conversion and tool runs on your Mac, offline. There's no telemetry; the only network access is checking GitHub for updates, which you can turn off in Settings.
Which macOS versions does it support?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Which formats need extra tools?
Most formats work out of the box. Two free, optional tools add more:
ffmpeg (brew install ffmpeg) adds MP3, OGG, Opus, WMA, MKV, WebM, AVI, WMV and GIF; brew install webp adds WEBP.
LibreOffice (brew install --cask libreoffice) adds slides (PowerPoint and ODP) and XLS/ODS spreadsheets.
Their wedges stay hidden until the tool is installed.
How do updates work?
OpenShelf checks GitHub once a day (it asks the first time). When a new version is out you'll see its release notes and an Install Update button, and the app restarts on the new version. Updates are signed, so only genuine releases install. You can also choose Check for Updates… from the menu bar, or turn automatic checks off in Settings.
Can I change the keys?
Yes. Click the OpenShelf wheel in the menu bar, choose Settings…, and pick the key for each wheel. The ⌃⌥Space shortcut can be changed or turned off in Settings → Keyboard.
Make every drag count.
Free forever. No account, no subscription, no uploads.